Amourshipping: One day off
by 123pearlshipping
Summary: Ash decides to just take one day off. Just one. But you'd be surprised how much can change in one day. AshXSerena, SatoSere, Amourshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Hello once again, everyone! This time, I'm back with another Amourshipping story. The premise for this one is that Ash takes just one day off his training regiment, and how the things he does instead change the normal routine.

This is hopefully going to be a few chapters long, because I like writing long fanfictions. I also like writing them as if I were writing an episode, which is my writing show, for those of you wondering. The first chapter might be short, but I assure oh the next chapter will be longer, and quite humorous as well :D

At any rate, let us begin!

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><p><p>

Ash, whom had just woken up from a deep and, frankly one of the best sleeps he had had in a very long time, stared at the ceiling, contemplating his next few steps.

His Kalos journey was going fantastic so far. Pikachu was as tough as ever, as always, putting in 110% into every battle he was in. He was sleeping to Ash's right, still snoring very lightly. "Pika... Pika..."

Ever since evolution, Frogadier was becoming more masterful at battling every day, showing off its exceptional battling skills, and steadily improving.

Fletchinder was improving quickly as well. Confident and proud, that was Fletchinder down to the T.

Hawlucha was... Well, Hawlucha, mastering his own battling style, and still finishing off opponents with his Flying Press attack. Still a complete powerhouse, and was one of Ash's toughest Kalos Pokèmon.

And finally Skiddo, his newest friend, the shiny coloured grass type was excitable and energetic, yet loyal and ready to fight when needed. He was fitting in well.

Ash smiled as he thought about everyone, about how loyal they were to him, and how they tried their hardest for them in battle. He never considered them to be 'under his possession'. He considered them to be his friends, and his friends weren't a possession to him. His thoughts then redirected to his next major battle.

His next gym battle wasn't too far away. He only needed a few more badges in order to enter the Kalos league. Normally he would be ecstatic about that, and have jumped out of bed, gotten dressed, wolfed down some breakfast and be training hard by this time. But today he felt different. For whatever reason, he just felt like taking a day off of hard, intensive training, just for today.

He looked over towards Serena, still sound asleep. He smiled. He had developed a slight... Okay, more than he was willing to admit, infatuation with her.

There was a hundred reasons why he had developed feelings for her. She was kind, she was supportive, she gave him confidence, she was... Cute. Ash felt his cheeks heat up at the thought of the word.

Upon a closer inspection, Ash noticed that she must have been tossing and turning in her sleep. Her bed sheet covers were around her waist, casually tossed to the side slightly as well. He chuckled. 'I thought I was the restless sleeper?'

Quietly he got out of his bed, careful not to wake her up. He heard a floorboard creak, but it wasn't too loud, thankfully.

He stood by Serena's bed, and stopped, and looked at her for a while. She seemed so peaceful. She was sleeping on her left shoulder, on her side, her right hand tucked under her chin, and with a smile on her face.

'How cute can you get?' Ash thought sub-consciously (to the point he didn't even realise he had thought it), while looking at her. She looked like a kid to Ash, the way she slept, her hand tucked under her chin, and her body trying to make itself as small as it could. That made Ash chuckle. It was easy to forget this was her first journey, so she still had a bit of that kid-like-vibe new trainers often had. He thought back to his first journey. He had been no exception.

Ash grinned. He got a hold of the covers and pulled them back over Serena, up past her shoulders, making it so that only her head was visible. 'That should keep her warm.'

Ash then looked at Serena's guide tablet, which she kept next to her bed every night. Without thinking too much about it, he picked it up.

"Sorry, Serena," He spoke softly. He spoke as if she could hear him, but he kept his voice down so as not to wake her "but I need to know what time it is."

He opened the tablet and hit a few buttons, making the screen come up. 9:21AM. He looked back at his bed and shrugged. "Been a long time since I had a real lie in." He said, quietly to himself, talking to no one in particular. "Sleep well, Serena. I won't be waking you up today."

He climbed back into his bed and wrapped himself in his duvet once again, quickly falling asleep.

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><p>"Ash. Ash, wake up."<p>

Ash woke up to find his group of friends, Serena, Clemont and Bonnie standing around his bed and staring at him like he'd run into their respective houses, broke all the windows then ran off down the street. To put it simply, they were confused, and surprised.

Ash sat up with a yawn. "Morning everyone. What's up?"

"What's up? What's up with you? Do you know what time it is?!" Bonnie screeched.

"No... How would I?" Ash asked.

"It's nearly 11:00!" Clemont said, louder than normal.

"Really? Huh." Ash commented with a yawn.

"You'd have been up and training and waking us up hours ago!" Bonnie cried out again.

"Are you okay, Ash?" Serena asked. Unlike Clemont or Bonnie, whose voices seemed to hold mostly shock, her voice was full of concern. Maybe she thought Ash was sick. Ash smiled warmly at her.

"Of course I'm fine." He said. "I was just thinking... Well, all my Pokèmon have been working so hard lately... Thought I'd take a day off and just relax for a change."

Three pairs of eyes fell on him.

"Hey, I get tired and need a break too, y'know." Ash said with a sigh and a sweat-drop. He really came across as that much of a machine to them?

Clemont seemed to recover the quickest. "It is true that people who work hard need to take a break everyone once in a while. Back in Lumious city, I needed to take breaks from battling and inventing too."

"I kept telling you to use those bits of free time to work on your cardio! How am I supposed to find you a good wife when you run like a hardened Magmacargo?!" Bonnie said loudly.

"Firstly, it's pronounced Magcargo, not Magmacargo. And secondly, I've told you to stop doing that!" Clemont yelled at his sister. The two entered one of their spats again which seemed to becoming more common.

Ash and Serena sighed. Ash climbed out of bed, and faced Serena. "So, you sleep alright?"

On cue, Serena stretched her arms upwards toward the ceiling. In doing so, the smallest amount of skin on her stomach showed. "Uh huh. That's the best I've slept in a long time."

"Ah hah... Sorry about that. I keep waking you up every day, don't I?" Ash said, scratching his cheek.

"Uh huh. It's fine though, really. You save us having to get an alarm clock." Serena giggled.

Ash laughed lightly. Clemont and Bonnie were still having their argument. "You feel like getting some food, Serena?" Ash asked, casually.

"Sure!" Serena smiled. She looked towards Bonnie and Clemont. "Aren't we gonna ask them?"

Ash shrugged. "You know how they are. Leave 'em to it for a while, they'll come down."

Serena nodded in agreement, before turning to Clemont and Bonnie. Clemont had gotten his Aipom arm invention and was using it to hold Bonnie in the air. They were still shouting at one another. Serena sighed. Once they started like this, they wouldn't stop until they got it out of their systems. Serena decided to leave them to it, and followed Ash.


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! It is me again, with another chapter of this story. I've decided I want to aim for 8 chapters with this one, maybe more, because I haven't done a long story in a while, and I'd kinda Like to try one again.

Also, ORAS dropped today In the UK. It's so good!

So, without further ado, let us begin this story!

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><p>After finishing breakfast, Ash called out all of his Pokémon from their Pokéballs to explain that they were having the day off.<p>

"You guys have really been working hard lately, so I figured you deserve a rest." Ash had told his Pokémon. They had been surprised yet generally happy with their trainers decision to allow them some time off. They had quickly began playing various games. Even Hawlucha, the 'lone wolf' of the group decided to join in with the fun for once.

Ash watched them from underneath the tree where he was taking cover from the sun. He smiled, and continued polishing his equipment; Pokéballs, and his Gym Badges.

"Okay Fennekin." Ash heard Serena, and saw her not far away, just behind the tree he was resting under, with her Fennekin and Pancham. "We did really well for our debut performance, and you two were great!"

Her Pokémon beamed at the praise they were being showered with. Serena and her Pokémon never really trained in the same way Ash and his Pokémon had done, and they hadn't ever received compliments the way they were now.

Ash smiled again. He remembered her performance. She had really worked hard, and practiced and practiced over and over for it, and it had paid off. She had been generally well received, exceptionally so for her first performance.

He himself had been utterly captivated by the performance. To start with, the dress she wore and how she had done her hair made her look absolutely incredible, and what made her look even more amazing was the fact she hasn't used any make-up whatsoever. Ash had found himself focused completely in Serena and her performance. He had noticed her smile. Such a sweet smile. It wasn't her normal smile, but the one that showed she was loving what she was doing, that she enjoyed the work she was doing. Ash didn't think he had seen her so happy. Seeing Serena happy made him happy as well.

"So, I'd like to practice a few new things for the next performance we have." She told her Pokémon. Pancham in particular seemed happy with that. After all, it did love to perform.

"Urm, actually, a lot of what I had planned mainly involved Fennekin, Pancham..." Serena told her first capture. Pancham looked absolutely crushed before Serena said with a smile "Don't worry, I have something very special planned for your performance!"

Pancham's spirits were raised against after that. "Maybe you should relax for a bit while I try what I had planned with Fennekin." Serena suggested.

Pancham nodded and jogged off to the side, where it planned to sit down against the tree Ash was currently resting against. Once Pancham sat down, Ash spoke, "Oh, hey, Pancham, I thought you'd be performing right about now?"

Pancham gestured over to Serena and Fennekin, as Serena told Fennekin her ideas. "Pan Pancham."

"Oh, I see. This one is mainly for Fennekin?" Ash asked. Pancham nodded, but still looked trademarkingly confident. Ash decided to take another guess. "And I'm guessing she has something planned for you too?"

Again, Pancham nodded. "Pancham!"

"You really have an incredible trainer, you know that?"

"Pancham?"

As if on cue, the embers that Fennekin had been firing into the sky as part of the performance came crashing back down to earth, narrowly missing Serena and Fennekin, who had to frantically dodge the falling fireballs.

"You alright, Serena?" Ash called over.

Serena picked herself up, brushed off the dirt on her clothes, and waved back. "Yeah... Just... Just had a little mishap, that's all."

Ash laughed. "You know, Pokémon performances remind me a lot of Pokémon contest performance rounds."

"Pokémon contests?" Serena asked, with a quizzical look in her face.

"It's something similar to Pokémon Performances in the Hoenn and Sinnon regions. They had an appeal and battle round. The Pokémon Performances remind me of the appeals round of a contest." Ash explained.

"Did you see take part in one?" Serena asked.

"I took part in a few, but it wasn't particularly my scene." Ash shrugged. "I can help you if you like."

Ash wasn't sure, but he thought he saw a slight blush in Serena's face. "A-Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure." Ash smiled. "Hey, Pikachu, come over here for a second buddy!"

Pikachu responded fairly quickly to his trainers calls, jumping down from a tree and running over to Ash.

"Hey, Pikachu, you mind if I use you to show Serena the contest moves we used those few times back in Hoenn and Sinnoh?" Ash asked. He was responded with a nod and a smile.

"You remember the Thunderbolt rings?"

"Pika!"

"Alright then. Serena, watch this."

Serena say down with Fennekin and watched. It was weird to see Ash about to do some sort of performance, as opposed to battle training.

What Serena saw impressed her even more. With a combination of Thunderbolt and Iron Tail, Pikachu had created several electrical rings spinning and crashing into into other.

"That's about it. Thanks, buddy." Ash smiled. Pikachu returned the smile, before running of back to join in with the games.

"Wow..." Was all Serena could manage.

"Not my forte..." Ash chuckled, scratching the back of his head. "But I guess it impressed the judges..."

"I didn't know you could do that sort of thing." Serena said, complimenting Ash.

"Ah hah..." Ash laughed.

"Well, master performer, what do you recommend I do?" Serena said, teasingly.

Ash felt something. He could have sworn that she was being flirty with him. He shook off the thought. "Uh, Fennekin knows how to use Hidden Power, right? Try using that into the air."

Serena nodded. "Okay Fennekin, you heard him, Hidden Power, and aim for the sky!"

Fennekin nodded, before firing the move In to the air... Before it came crashing down. Like before, Ash, Serena, and Fennekin had to frantically dodge the falling attacks.

One of the Hidden Powers was rapidly falling towards Serena, who was looking in the opposite direction. "Serena, watch out!"

Ash ran and grabbed Serena, pulling her out of the way of the falling move before it hit the ground, pushing Serena to the ground next to him.

Both of them were left without breath. " I can see... Why that... Isn't your forte..." Serena gasped.

"I'm so sorry..." Ash said, between gasps. "That wasn't... My smartest idea..."

Ash and Serena picked themselves up. It was then that Ash realised how close they actually were right now. Maybe a few centimetres away at most. Ash blushed.

"U-Um... W-What about Flamethrower?" He quickly suggested.

"Flamethrower?"

"Yeah... For one thing, we won't have to dodge any falling moves."

So Serena tried that. And that went better. For a while, Ash and Serena kept brainstorming ideas. Serena's original idea had been to have a ring of Ember surround her and Fennekin, they perform their routine, and Fennekin ended it with a Hidden Power. Though, remembering the performance failure that had occurred barely 10 minutes ago, she decided that she wasn't ready for that yet. She would have to practice more for it.

During their brainstorming, Serena suddenly realised something. "Aren't you supposed to be taking the day off?"

Ash stopped and seriously thought for a minute. He was, wasn't he? Then again, he really wanted to see Serena do well. So he replied with a smile, saying "I am. I said I was having a day off training, I never said I was going to lay around all day."

Ash titled his head slightly, so his hat covered his eyes. He was blushing lightly right now, and he didn't want Serena to know it. He looked at her with closed eyes and a smile. "Besides, I really want to see you do well, and I'll help you out so I can see your smile when you perform!"

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><p>And there's chapter two guys. I hope you enjoyed it. I like the idea of Ash helping Serena out with her performances.<p>

Also, I am aware of the apparent date episode coming up. Though it pains me to say, I think I it's a safe assumption it'll just be Amourshipping fanservice. It'd be nice if I were wrong, but if anyone thinks it will be 'they go out, have a romantic meal and kiss by the sunset' then I think you may not recognise how Pokémon is wrote. It's upsetting, I would REALLY love to see the date episode be the most romantic thing in Pokémon ever made, and I do pray that I am wrong, but until then...

Anyway, distractions aside, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if to did, be sure to follow it to always be updated on when I update. A lot of people liked this story, which made me very happy, so if you have anything to say, leave a review, and I'll be sure to reply to you, as I read them all.

Other than that, I hope you enjoyed, and I'll see you all in the next chapter! Bye everyone!


	3. Chapter 3

WE RETURN! Sorry this look longer to update, I've been having some very upsetting problems these past few days, and to top that off, exams have.. Well, not so much been eating up my free time, but just mentally draining me. I require sleep ;n; Not to mention my stuff on YouTube has had to be kept up to date, leaving me with only 00:00 AM to 01:30AM to write. Yep, I'm that dedicated to both YouTube and this, because screw you, school, I only have to deal with you for another week.

But yes, me taking out all my frustrations of my inevitably ruined life aside, lets begin this chapter!

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><p>The training that Ash and Serena went through had its ups and downs. Serena's image of what she wanted was simply not matching up with what Fennekin was capable of.<p>

"No, no, not like that, Fennekin! You need to spin around on your back legs when the fire comes down, not on all fours. It looks like you're chasing your tail if you do that." Serena told her partner Pokémon.

"Fenn Fenne..."

Ash scratched the back of his head. "Fennekin tried, and she got dizzy. "

"So we'll have to come up with a way to come around that as well?" Serena asked.

"Probably."

Serena sighed. "This felt so much easier the first time..."

"You set a great debut, so they'll be expecting you to out in a doubly big show for your nex-" Clemont put in, before Ash frantically waved his hands to cut him off from finishing his sentence.

Looking back at Serena, she seemed to be trembling with nervousness. Seeing her like this reminded him of how he felt in his first gym battle. Nervous. A bit sick.

Fennekin tried to cheer up her trainer. It went and nudged its trainers hands. "Fenne, Fenne Fennekin..."

"Hey, Serena..."

Serena got up, and turned to face Ash. The look on her face wasn't one of fear or nervousness, or even remote concern. It was of something Ash hadn't seen on her face before. It was determination, rivalling his own.

"You don't think that I'm going to give up that easily, do you?" Serena said, with a smile, which seemed to turn her determination into confidence. "I still remember what you said. I won't ever forget it. You never give up 'till its over."

When Ash first reunited with Serena, he didn't recognise her. He could even remember her. How was beyond him, in retrospect. But when he heard her repeat his "don't give up" phrase, there was little doubt in his mind that he had to have at least known her previously. But back then he hadn't felt what he was now.

He felt his heart jolt. And he felt something more... he couldn't begin to figure out what.

Maybe it was his infatuation. But it felt different. Like a sense of... pride. Proud. Was he proud of himself? He told her that when they first met, and she had learnt from it and used it to fuel herself.

No. He wasn't proud of himself. He was proud of her. Proud that this girl, whom at first seemed so gentle and delicate, was now becoming stronger over the course of time.

"That's the spirit!" Ash said with a smile of his own.

He thought to himself, realising his choice of words.

Gentle? Delicate? When did he start using these words to describe Serena? He blushed. He felt like he had been caught writing a poem. Gentle and delicate. When had he ever used those words in anything before?

Having said that, when had he been infatuated like he was before? Was it an infatuation anymore, though? Ash blushed at the thought of the word in his mind.

"Ash?"

Ash snapped back into reality when he heard Serena call his name. "Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sorry."

Ash scratched his cheek, and thought over what Serena's exact idea was. A synchronised performance. She was going to mimic every move Fennekin made, and vice versa. To do that, they had to be in absolute sync, there could be no room for error.

Ash sighed. This wasn't gonna be easy.

It took them a while, but the performance was finally starting to come together. A few simple tweaks, such as making Fennekin use Flamethrower in a spin to the left, then spinning while the flames came down to the right, adding a few bits, and taking other bits away, the performance was finally coming into its own.

Ash let out a large sigh of both relief and exhaustion. It had been tricky getting that bit right. Though he had to say- it looked great. Defiantly, it was going to receive some great reviews at the performance, Ash thought to himself.

Serena had just done another rehearsal with Fennekin, which Ash had watched. After it had finished, Serena courtesies, and Fennekin bows its head.

Ash gave them a small applause. "That looks incredible! All that work paid off." He added with a smile.

Serena showed her pretty smile once again. "Thanks!"

Ash smiled again. The more he watched her, the more he felt inclined to help her improve. Her performance just then had been incredible. He thought to himself 'It's been a difficult few days of training for her, hasn't it? Come to think of it, it has been for me too. Ha... She's really coming along well... I'm proud of her.'

Ash chuckled to himself, and leaned back into the tree he was leaning against. "You know something? I'm really impressed with you."

"Huh?"

"Yeah. Putting this much passion Into something is a talent in itself, and look at how hard you're working. You've been brainstorming non-stop, you've formulated ideas with your Pokémon, you've done sketches of what you want... And now look at the end result." Ash grinned. "You've certainly changed since I first met you in Kanto."

Serena laughed. "I would have hoped so, that was when I was 7 years old."

Ash laughed. That was true. But still...

"I'm really glad I met you that day." Ash said, warmly to Serena.

Serena blushed lightly. This was one of the first times Ash had noticed Serena blushing to something he had specifically said to her. It wasn't much, but enough for Ash to notice. Fennekin was talking with Pancham, so Serena decided it would be a nice time to break for a bit. She sat next to Ash, still red, and said. "I...I'm glad I did too. Otherwise I might not be able to enjoy this journey with you."

This time it was Ash's turn to blush, but his was much less noticeable. "You'd have done fine without me. "

Serena shook her head. "No... The only reason I set out on a journey in the first place... Was because of you."

"Huh?"

"The Garchomp news story..." Serena looked into the sky. "I recognised you... I couldn't believe you did that..."

Ash sighed, remembering the mess Team Rocket had caused them that day. "Well, I couldn't leave Garchomp in that much pain."

"I've been meaning to ask, is that Garchomp your Pokémon?" Serena asked.

"Nah. It's Professor Sycamores. I have a Gible, but he's back in Kanto."

"So..." Serena asked, looking at Ash "Why?... I mean... When I figured out it was you... I couldn't believe it... But... You nearly died then! I mean... "

Ash stayed silent, listening to Serena speak her mind. Her voice was becoming choked. She was upset.

"I... After I started traveling with you, I... I had a horrible thought. What if you weren't saved after you fell from the tower?... I... That would have been horrifying... The first time I see you in years, and you die on the news?... That's -"

Ash couldn't bare listening to Serena like this. He grabbed her and pulled her into a deep hug, tightly holding onto her, with one arm around her waist, and the other on the back of her head, holding it firmly but comfortably into his chest.

"Don't think like that, Serena. I'm here, aren't I? I'm not going anywhere." He said softly to his crush, trying to comfort her.

"Ash..."

Ash chuckled lightly. "Heh... Didn't think you would be so affected by something I did before we even met up again."

"H-Hey-"

Ash hugged Serena tighter. "Sorry, Serena. I didn't mean to worry you. Heh, if I'd known you were watching that, I'd have made more of an effort to not fall off a tower."

Ash felt Serena wrap her arms around his back. Her touch sent a jolt of electricity down his spine, but he kept holding Serena.

"Sorry... About this... "Serena said quietly, partly hoping Ash didn't hear.

"It's no problem. We never really had a chance to talk like this before, did we?" Ash said, only speaking his mind now. "... Hey Serena?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for worrying about me. It means a lot to know you worry about me like that."

Serena blushed, but considering her face was buried in Ashs chest, Ash didn't notice. One thing Serena had been noticing was that Ash's heart pulse had been quickening this entire time. "You're welcome..."

"C'mon, I think that you've done enough training for today." Ash said. "Take it easy for the rest of the day. We can chat like we used to back in camp. That'd be fun."

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><p>And so ends this chapter, everyone! I hope you've enjoyed this!<p>

Last time I said I would reply to all reviews, so, late as they are, here we go!

Nov 30 c2 Nemo

Unfortunately, I think you are exactly right on the upcoming date episode. I hope we are wrong, but it just ain't gonna happen. But that is what fan fiction is for, no? Anyhow, great chapter and great story idea. Ash taking a day off from training to help Serena, well you are certainly setting the stage for some armourshipping. I also like how Ash is not completely oblivious. Anyhow, I am looking forward to the next chapter.

Reply: Yeah, I really hope we are wrong, but we do have these fabrics to tied us over until we inevitably storm the animation building until we force them to make it cannon, no?

Dec 1 c2 NGA96

This is so cute! please continue :)

Reply: Way ahead of you, buddy. Glad you liked it.

Nov 29 c2 Taco Senpai

I like this pairing and the fanfic keep up the great work,can't wait to see how the rest of it goes.

Reply: I hope you enjoy what I have planned : )

Nov 28 c1 Red

Hey, this is really nice! Update soon :D

Reply: Already done, buddy. : ) Hope you enjoyed this update.

Nov 29 c2 1Ikcatcher

I really like your stories,they seem like actual scenarios in the anime so keep it up

Reply: That's how I like to write. Creations a scenario out of nowhere else doesn't sit right with me. I like to explore small things, and how they can almost always become big things if they happen a certain way. I'm glad you enjoy the way I write.

Nov 25 c1 pie

cant wait to read what happens in the next chapter

Reply: what's you think?

Nov 25 c1 202Agent BM

Don't Forget, Ash Will Capture A Goomy Too.

Reply: I am always skeptical about new captures. I refuse to believe Ash will capture Goomy until I see that Pokéball click. Though I accept Goomy will be coming along for the ride from the screenshots, I remain skeptical until the episode airs. I've always been that way. Goomy will stick around, but I remain Skeptical as to who will catch it.

And there, I kept my promise guys! I'll see you next chapter! Any questions or ideas, leave them in a review, because, as I just proved, I read and review them all : D

See you, guys!


	4. Chapter 4

Haha... It's been a while, hasn't it? Sorry about that, I've been EXTREMELY BUSY lately. I plan to finish this story, do not worry about that for a second. his is something I plan on finishing.

Without further ado, here you go! Chapter 5 of One Day Off!

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><p>Serena looked out from the balcony of her room, watching the sun set on what had been a long and tough day of hard training. Watching the sun made her feel relaxed, and have her the time to collect her thoughts.<p>

She thought about the day she had had, training with Pancham and Fennekin, and how much they had achieved that day. Their performance had come on in leaps and bounds.

But something she found herself always thinking about intruded her mind.

Ash.

She smiled, remembering the day she had had with him and blushed. That was one upside to not having to be around her friends all the time. She often found herself blushing, and it was nice to have some time to herself and didn't have to worry about blushing in front of everyone.

This was supposed to be a day of relaxation for Ash. That in itself was rare, but he had instead spent the day helping her perfect her performance. She wondered 'why?'.

Why did Ash help her?

She sighed. She loved Ash, of that she had no doubts in her mind. She had loved him for a long time now. There was only so much pressure, Serena felt, that she could bottle up at this point with her feelings for him.

She wasn't ashamed to admit she loved him at all. But she often wondered what he felt about her. Was she just a friend? Was she a best friend? Or was she just someone tagging along for the ride? She mentally crossed that one off her list. Ash had invited her to journey with him, didn't he? She was a friend at the minimum, she came to the conclusion

She sighed again. She had had moments of doubt, just as anyone did. But moments of doubt can plant the seeds for terrible assumptions and mistakes. She shivered.

"What am I to you, Ash?" Serena said, talking to herself, looking up towards the clouds, as if asking God himself to give her the answer she needed.

"More than you think."

For a second, Serena though God legitimately WAS answering her, but when she turned, she saw it was Clemont. Defiantly NOT God.

"U-uh...how long have you been there?" Serena asked, almost whispering in embarrassment.

"Long enough." Clemont said. "I came to get you seeing as suppers almost done."

Serena blushed. She used her long hair to cover up her face, hiding her blush. Clemont laughed "you aren't exactly sublet, you know. Bonnie and I already knew."

"Bonnie knows?"

Clemont sighed. "She can be annoying with trying to constantly find a wife for me... But to her credit, she does know alt about romance."

Serena sighed next. "How is it possible that everyone except the one guy who I want to notice knows, but not him?"

Clemont stood next to Serena and looked out the balcony. He took in the scenery. Serena must have had the best view out if all of them. "Ash can be a bit... Clueless sometimes, but he has noticed something's up. He's asked me a couple of times. I haven't said anything yet. I thought you might like to tell him in your own time."

Serena nodded, "Thank you, Clemont."

"But having said that," Serena felt her heart quicken "You might want to move it."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm his next gym battle, Serena. When he beats me, and I have no doubt he will, that'll be him up to 5 gym badges. Then he'll only have 3 more to go. I hate to say it, but we are running out of time together already. Ash isn't going to make any moves, and if he does, I can almost promise you he'll do it under the guise of a battle, or something relating to Pokèmon. Even if he does feel romantic feelings towards you, Ash wouldn't know how to act on them. Not because he doesn't care, but... I honesty doubt he's experienced love before."

Serena looked out of the balcony. Clemont had some valid points. "You're right. "

Clemont looked down to the ground. "It's a real shame. I've enjoyed the time we've spent together as a group. That's kind of why I want to help you out with Ash."

Serena stared at Clemont, "Huh?"

"Maybe you can convince him to stay in Kalos a while longer." Clemont said with a humorous smile. " but in all seriousness, you two are good friends of mine. Seeing both of you down like this because of one another kind if upsets me."

Serena chuckled nervously, scratching the back of her head "uh, sorry about that."

Clemont continued "and I'll be perfectly honest, you two match one another perfectly if you ask me."

Serena blushed again.

"I won't do anything without your say." Clemont said. "But... Well, sorry if this sounds rude or if its personal, but... What are your exact feelings towards him?

Serena looked out of the balcony again. "I... You know how I feel about him."

"Can't you say it?" Clemont asked.

"Huh?"

"You can't say it, can you?" Clemont sighed. "Come on. If you can't admit it to me how on Earth are you going to admit it to him?"

Serena sighed " Okay, Okay I... He's ... He's an incredible person. He has so much determination in him, so much energy for life, such a passion For what he wants to achieve. But he's also so kind, and... Just today, when he was supposed to be relaxing on his day off... He instead spent it helping me... And I didn't even think twice about accepting his help. Because I wanted him to be close to me, for just a day... Because... I love him."

Serena paused and realised everything she had just said. She went dark red and tried to hide her entire fHace behind her hair. Sure, she knew she loved him, she had known she had for years. But we had never said the words before. 'I love Ash'. They were words that were simply never said by her.

"Okay, well, we got that far. " Clemont muttered.

Serena looked away from Clemont. "Uwaaaaa..."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. " Clemont laughed. "I've seen you be in worse situations."

Serena sighed, once again.

"I'll talk to him." Clemont said. "I'll ask him. But I won't say anything about your feelings to him."

"Thank you, Clemont... I- I appreciate it." Serena said, nodding her head. "But... Listen, don't... Tell him too much?... I know you said you wouldn't, but if you have to... Be vague. That is something I have to do myself. I can't have you as the messenger, back and forth for us forever."

Clemont nodded "I understand. I'll ask him, and that'll be it."

"Thank you, Clemont."

"Come on. We really shouldn't keep Ash and Bonnie waiting. You think Ash is bad?..." Clemont said, only now realising how long they had spoken for, shuddering when he remembered how impatient Bonnie could be. She made Ash look like he had the patience of a saint in comparison

"That's right!" Serena said, gasping as she also realised how long they had been talking.

She swallowed and let out a sigh. She was practically relying of Clemont at this point. She could only hope that this would go well.

And there you go! A bit short and a bit lack ouster, but I wanted to dedicate a chapter to Serena's thoughts. Clemont got a bigger role in the story as a sort of splinter agent for Serena, because it occurred to me that he not Bonnie were actually doing anything during the story, so I wanted to give them a bigger role.

And yes, guys, I will try and update soon, but until then, I hope you enjoyed!

Special thanks goes to MetekinGiant for the advice hes been giving me. I appreciate it a lot. Sorry I have. I been able to reply to you as of late, but once again, I am EXTREMELY BUSY. So I do apologise.

Once again, I hope you enjoyed, and I will see you next time!


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